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Editorial: Lattimore Retirement

Marcus Lattimore is one of the good ones, one of those rare athletes who was respected and even admired by fans of rival schools, all because of the quality of his character.

Editorial: Lattimore Retirement

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Updated: 10:08 AM EST Nov 7, 2014

Every now and again you see an athlete who is the total package - incredible talent, great work ethic, and lives his life on and off the field in a way that reflects well on himself, his family and his community. We thought a lot about that this week when the disappointing news broke that Marcus Lattimore had decided to retire from the San Francisco 49ers. Two years ago, Lattimore suffered a devastating injury to his right knee, cutting short his career as a star running back at the University of South Carolina. The hard-working Lattimore dedicated himself to post-surgery rehabilitation, and just months after the injury, he was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the 49ers. He had spent the last year and a half trying to get his strength and range of motion back in order to achieve his dream of playing in the NFL. This week, Lattimore announced he just couldn't get his knee to a place where he could play at the NFL level. So he has decided to leave the team and return to the University of South Carolina to complete his college degree. Marcus Lattimore is one of the good ones, one of those rare athletes who was respected and even admired by fans of rival schools, all because of the quality of his character. And even though circumstances have taken Lattimore away from the playing field, we should all unite in wishing him well. We believe he will be successful, no matter what path he may take as he plans the next chapter of his life.